how much do you need to survive one month in china as a teacher?

Question

free accomodation

a general amount in RMB would be great.

Answer 1

It depends on the Area you live and work and your lifestyle.

Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai are more expensive with more diversions to splurge on.

On average, if you don't need all those things westerners need like cleaning services, daily Starbucks fixes, foreign booze, and high class hookers, about 1000 RMB a month will do.


And no, on so little you will not be living like a peasant. You'll have a middle class Chinese person's lifestyle with local baijiu, low class massage girls.

Me, I can survive on less, but I'm an anti-consumer and I have quanxi, so someone else is always paying for dinner,. Some Foreign teaching jerks here blow there whole monthly salary as quick as they get it (anywhere from 4000 to 10000 RMB a month). Morons.

Answer 2

Most teaching jobs I have found pay about 6000 RMB per month, and include housing for free. However, be wary... I have heard stories about schools that try not to pay their foreign teachers. They are few and far between, but they are out there. Read your contract carefully and make sure that you consider every negative possibility before you sign it. Ask yourself, "What if...?" a hundred times.

When you get there, perform your duties well, hold them to their end of the bagain, and have fun. However, do not forget to TEACH the students so that they will remember their lessons for years after you are gone. Remember your basic level courses? They were boring, but if you REMEMBER the lessons, they were effective. The biggest problem with English education in China today is that everyone has TOO much fun... and forgets their lessons within a few months of the end of the course!! (Lack of opportunities for English practice also hurts.)

Most "teachers" there are really just young tourists paying their way through their travels. Even if this applies to you, try to hold yourself to some professional standards. Don't date the students at your school (even if they are not in your classes), keep up with your grading, make your feedback meaningful, and try to be available for extra help as much as possible. If you want to travel, just ask the students about their hometowns. I guarantee that you'll get a dozen invitations to visit them during the breaks (or over a weekend, if they're from a near-by town).

As for expenses...

You can eat well for about 30 RMB per day if you eat local food, and 100 RMB per day if you hit a McDonald's, KFC, etc. for a meal. (US fast food is within almost as high as US prices, probably only 10% less.) Also, if you help tutor in English, you'll find dozens of friends who will be happy to treat you to free food quite often.

Clothing is expremely cheap, so pack light and buy a lot there... just don't expect durable quality unless you pay almost half of American prices. However, you should bring LOTS of basic pharmaceuticals. You can get penicillin at larger grocery stores without a prescription, but you can't find Tylenol, Pepto-Bismol, or or NyQuil anywhere.

Electronics cost the same there as here. A cheap microwave oven is $50 (400 RMB), a cheap laptop is $450 (3600 RMB), and a cell phone is $90 (700 RMB).

However, you can get a GOOD bicycle with a GOOD seat for $35... but expect it to be stolen within a few months. Then buy another. Your butt will thank you.

If the school does not provide housing, you can find some decent places (by China's standards) for about $200/month (1500 RMB), if you ask around.

Credit cards are useless, but ATM's will dispense RMB's while deducting the appropriate amount in dollars. DO NOT convert in-hand currency until you get here!!! The exchange rate here takes about 10% for fees... there, the charge is about 0.1% at the airport. (Eg you get about 7.9 RMB for a dollar there, 6.9 RMB per dollar here.)

By the way, the bars do not "card", so if that girl looks 15... she probably is.

Also, if a hooker approaches you and wants to bring you to "a place she has near-by", do not go. More often than not, it results in a mugging by her friends. The US State Department issued a warning about that last year.

Answer 3

"Survival" itself depends on what activities you would like to engage in. Do you plan to eat in exclusively local restaurants, or would you occasionally like to eat McDonald's or other Western food? Do you plan to go out drinking at night, or buy souvenirs for your friends and family? These three items -- Western food, alcohol, and trinkets -- will probably take up the bulk of your budget.

Otherwise, a decent meal for three can be bought for around 30 yuan ($4 US). Be aware, though, that the Chinese food we're accustomed to seeing in the West is not generally offered in China. The public bus costs 1 yuan, although taxis are more expensive. Historical exhibits and attractions can cost up to 50 or 60 yuan -- maybe even more, depending on the relative fame of the location.

You may wish to bring extra money to avail yourself of the cheap, extremely talented tailors there. Westerners generally don't have the opportunity to order custom-made clothes at such a low price. There are also good opportunities to buy pirated DVDs for around $1 each -- even movies still in the theaters.

In any case, the Chinese Yuan is currently valued at 8.2 yuan or so per US Dollar. The average foreign teacher's salary in China is about 3000 for a smaller city, and can go higher for larger cities. You should make your choice based on your plans and the size of the city surrounding your assignment.

Best of luck and enjoy your China experience. I sure did!

Answer 4

If you don't mind to eat local foods, you will spend only RMB30-50/day.
If you go to western restaurant and buy foreign goods, you will spend RMB100-150/day

Local mineral water bottle is about RMB3-5. These are local brands.
Same size bottle of Evian or Vorvic cost RMB18-22.

Do you think you can believe and drink local water??

Answer 5

I have a friend teaching over there, and he says it's pretty cheap. He has all his living accomodations paid for, and all he needs to buy is his food

Answer 6

What site offers free accomodations?

Answer 7

it will take about $20 american to buy food. that's being a smart shopper and shopping at the local venues eating decently.

Just got back from teaching in Xian, China.

Answer 8

Depends where you teach...In the villages, you do not need a lot of money.

Answer 9

It depends totally how you want to live and where you live.

Answer 10

read Alan B's answer. its the best.